The Garbage Barge
by Hecate's Horcrux
Summary: So begins FI's Second Annual Shipping Week. For trash, by trash.
1. PandaCloneCest

**Day 1: BrOTP PandaCloneCest**

 **Is Unknown an AU?**

* * *

I am not you, Panda.

Yes, you are. We're clones. That's the point.

. . .

See? _Exactly._


	2. Raim

**Day 2: OTP Raim**

 **Kindergarten!AU**

* * *

Ray was bored. Well, as bored as a kindergartener could get. Her best friend, Hazel, was currently going potty, so that meant Ray had nobody to play with. She looked around for a playmate. Joan was occupied, as she and her friends were shrieking incoherently about birds. Ray didn't get it. Angel and Irma were having a fight for the twentieth time that week about stuffed animal superiority. Ange really had a thing for pandas. Unsatisfied, she continued to scan the room. Way over there in the play kitchen, she spotted the perfect kid to play with: her good friend Aim.

She reached the kitchen just as chaos erupted in the oven.

"Husband dear," yelped Taco, "I think the turkey's on fire."

Ray paused, letting the scene play out before extending her invitation.

"Oh darn!" he swore, opening the oven to let the 'steam' out. 'Not again!"

"I can fix it," Taco reassured him.

Sensing an end to the kitchen nightmares, Ray jumped in. "Hey Aim," she grinned, "Do you wanna play... Um... Do you wanna play..." He raised an eyebrow expectantly as she scanned the room. "...chess?"

He nodded eagerly before turning to address his spouse. "Honey, the boys just invited me to go fishing. I'll be back in time for dinner tonight, I promise!" The disbelieving look he received in response led Ray to believe that this was a promise broken more times than any of them knew how to count.

Ray and Aim ran toward an open table, pausing only to grab the battered chess box from the counter. Jord and Mels looked up briefly to assess the newcomers before returning to their very intense coloring session.

"Okay, I call black!" declared Ray as she dumped out the contents of the box. "Black goes first!"

"Nuh-uh, white goes first!"

"Does not!"

"Does too!"

Jord glared at them, causing Aim to quickly conclude that yes, black does go first.

The game began normally enough, pawns moving forward one at a time. Compared to the noisiness of other parts of the playroom, the table was a paradise of calm. The birds and pandas continued to rage around the peaceful chess and coloring books. Oh, what Marz would give for the rest of his class to behave like that. Of course, Ray had to go and ruin the last spot of quiet.

"That's not fair!" protested Aim as Ray hopped her king over two of his pawns, snatching both off the board. "That's not right!"

Ray stuck out her tongue. "You're just a sore loser!"

"Am not!"

"Yeah, you are!"

"That's not how you play chess!"

"That's how _I_ play chess!"

"Well, you play wrong!"

"No, you do!"

Aim knew he wasn't going to win the argument, and that incurring Jord's wrath again would be a terrible idea, so he sighed and pushed his rook forward four spaces. He then scooted his chair backwards as Ray pored over the board, before tapping her shoulder. "Taco and me, um, are going on a camping trip! Right now! I'll come back and finish the game, I promise!"

Before Ray had a chance to say anything, he got up and dashed back toward the play kitchen. She pushed a pawn forward and waited. And waited. Birds had wings, and red pandas were not real pandas. She waited.

"Ray," Marz tapped her arm, pulling her back to reality. "You've stared at that board for two hours. Let's clean up, it's time to go home. Your mommy's waiting for you." He gestured at the door, where Sydney stood talking with the other parents.

Ray narrowed her eyes. "Aim!" she shrieked, singling him out as he made his way towards the door. "You never came back! _I waited for you!_ "

He shrugged and left, vowing never to play with her again.


	3. Rayzel

**Day 3: (Br)OTP Rayzel**

 **Cat Stuck in Tree!AU**

* * *

Some lady's pet cat got stuck in a tree at the corner of Virginia and Andover. No big deal. Ray had faced down six-alarm blazes before, a feline rescue was far easier in comparison.

She had barely exited the truck before a woman in near-hysterics ran up and hugged her. No doubt that this was the owner. Awkwardly patting Cat Lady's shoulder, Ray assessed the tree in question. There, in the highest branches, a black cat stretched contentedly. It was a good thing the fire department was called, because there was no way a regular homeowner had ladders reaching that high.

"My Tux climbed up there sometime last night," said the woman, who introduced herself as Hazel. "He's such a sweet cat, and I don't want him to get hurt! Thank you so, so much for coming. He's such an angel, honestly."

Ray nodded, half-listening to Hazel's stories about her pet as she set up the ladder. It was kind of endearing, really, how much she was fretted about her cat's well-being. Tux was fully capable of taking care of himself, few hundred feet in the air or no. He was a cat, after all. An independent loner, fully able to climb down in his own sweet time if he so chose to. Of course, that wasn't an option for him once the fire station was called.

Climbing up to him wasn't much trouble at all, not including almost being smacked in the face by a broken limb. The real trouble started when human and feline met face-to-face.

Tux peered at Ray, his judgmental eyes glinting in the sunlight. He licked his paw, his brightly illuminated eyes not once breaking eye contact with hers. This was no sweetie pie; this was a cat from the darkest depths of hell. His hellcat stare did not let up as he dodged Ray's first attempt at grabbing him. After three attempts and half an hour of silent face-off, Tux stepped backward, out onto the farthest part of the branch that Ray didn't dare lunge for. How that woman put up with this infuriating monster, she didn't know. Okay, that was kind of rude. But he sure wasn't playing nice.

Ray sighed. "Let's try this again. I think you're a nightmare, but your owner down there loves you. So you're probably a pretty good cat. I have a cat like you at my house, too. She's very pretty. You would like her. Of course, you'd never be able to meet her if you stay cooped up here. And I wouldn't be able to bring you down if you stay all the way out there."

What possessed her to ramble to this cat, she didn't know. He sure didn't make this job easy, and it was up to him to move back in. All she could do was be there for him, and wait. Though light shining in his eyes did make him downright terrifying. Nobody could fault her for that.

Slowly, step by step, Tux edged back in. When he got close enough, Ray lifted him into her arms. He didn't even put up a fight. She climbed back down, holding him tightly to her chest. Tux's adventure had come to an end.

Tux leaped out of her arms the moment her feet touched the ground, giving her the ability to pack up and go back to the station with ease.

"Oh my god, oh my god, thank you!" shrieked Hazel, sprinting over. So much for leaving quickly. But for some reason, Ray didn't mind. That dumb cat was really starting to grow on her. Hazel hugged her again.

She smiled. "Hey, just doing my job."

Hazel reached down to pick up her cat. "Thank you so much, um," she paused. "Wait, I never got your name."

"Ray. My name's Ray."

"That's a pretty name!" Hazel grinned widely while hugging Tux close to her chest. "And, well, while I was waiting, I kind of stress-baked a pan of cinnamon buns. I owe you for saving my baby. You want some of my buns?"

Ray looked at the fire truck, then back at the reunited family. She could afford to spend a few minutes getting to know these new friends. "Sure," she responded. "Sounds good to me!"

Tux purred.


End file.
